Recently the AAP released the results of a new study that indicated many parents are not following safe sleep guidelines. Of course, I have a few thoughts on this! Read the study HERE:

My advice?

Make the sleep guidelines more realistic! If parents aren’t listening, it means they are desperate for sleep and the recommendations are falling short without the “village” we once had. Instead, tell parents HOW to co-sleep safely, if they need to. People across the globe do it! (You can read our article on Cultural Differences in Baby and Toddler Sleep.) Get rid of extra bedding, and use a co-sleeper like an Arm’s Reach bassinet. (See our article Is Co-Sleeping Dangerous? with additional discussion about the potential dangers of co-sleeping).

When we create these guidelines without creating other ways to help support parents with their child’s sleep, we are setting parents up to fail – just like I how I felt I was failing when my baby wouldn’t sleep. It’s stressful and frustrating to new parents!

Perhaps another way to help educate parents would be for sleep devices to state explicitly to put baby on their back to sleep, if they don’t already, including right there on the crib/bassinet.

We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Need help with your baby or toddler’s sleep? Take a look at the resources below.

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The team members here at the Baby Sleep Site® work hard to stay on top of the latest news and trends related to sleep – particularly baby and toddler sleep. It’s important to us that we’re always using current research, recommendations, and best practices in our work with families.

So when one of our sleep consultants passed a local news story about an emerging sleep trend along to the rest of us, we were eager to read it! Imagine our surprise, though, when we read the news headline: Parents Turn to ‘Sleeping Pills’ for Kids.

Parents Are Giving ‘Sleeping Pills’ To Their Babies and Toddlers

Turns out the ‘sleeping pills’ referred to in the story aren’t actual sleeping pills. The story is really about parents who give their young children melatonin at night, in an effort to help their babies and toddlers sleep.

For many families, melatonin makes a huge difference in their children’s sleep. That was true for Mindie Barnett, a mom who was interviewed for this news story. As she explained, it used to take her toddler up to 2 hours to fall asleep at bedtime; now, with the help of the melatonin drops, it takes just 10 minutes.

Big improvement, right? And all thanks to a natural, doctor-prescribed sleep aid. But Barnett isn’t alone; increasing numbers of parents are turning to melatonin to “cure” their children’s sleep problems. As Dr. Sanjeev Kothare, who was also interviewed for the story, points out,

“Families have heard from others, they’ve seen on the Internet, they’ve seen it on TV, that melatonin may be a useful product and an easy fix,” said Dr. Sanjeev Kothare of NYU Langone Medical Center.

But Is Melatonin Safe to Use as a Sleep Aid?

Does all of this sound too good to be true? That’s because it is. Yes, melatonin is effective in helping children fall asleep quickly, but is it safe for babies’ and toddlers’ growing little bodies? What about the long-term effects?

That’s where things get a bit alarming. There’s a lack of clinical research to indicate whether or not long-term use of melatonin is safe. However, since melatonin itself is a hormone, and since it regulates other systems in the body (particularly systems that control puberty-related changes), it seems safe to assume that giving melatonin to a child on a regular basis, over months or even years, would have some effect.

What’s more, many pediatricians fear that if children take melatonin supplements long-term, they may become dependent on them to fall asleep (psychologically dependent, and perhaps even physically dependent). In other words, kids may get “hooked” on melatonin, and need it in order to fall asleep.

While many doctors agree that melatonin can be excellent for the small percentage of children who suffer from serious sleep disorders (especially disorders that are caused by reduced melatonin levels), they quickly point out that healthy children really don’t need additional melatonin.

Why Are Parents Giving Melatonin to Healthy Children?

“Parents are using melatonin because they are stressed out,” said Michael Breus, a clinical psychologist and board-certified sleep specialist who knows parents that have given melatonin to their children for years at a stretch. “They come home late, eat dinner late, and they think they can just flick an on-off switch for their children to get to sleep.”

Nicole’s Note:
“I can’t tell you how many times it’s happened that someone comes to me with a toddler sleep ‘problem’ which is not a problem at all. If your 2 1/2 year old is taking two hours to fall asleep, for example, many people don’t realize that many 2 1/2 year olds can now stay awake sometimes 6 hours. If she is napping 1-3pm, you’re looking at a possible 9pm bedtime, not 7pm! In addition, I have families ask me if melatonin will help with night-wakings and keep in mind it mostly helps with falling asleep initially at night, not for later in the night. It is not wise to be ‘re-dosing’ melatonin throughout the night.”

We think this is wise advice. We believe that, with time and plenty of support and help, every baby and toddler can learn to sleep through the night, and to take long and restful naps. A small percentage of children may have a medical need for melatonin supplements, but the vast majority do not. For those children, using melatonin to “fix” their sleep problems is not only ineffective, it’s potentially dangerous.

Instead, we urge parents to take the time, and to do the work, to truly solve their children’s sleep problems. This often takes a comprehensive approach – one which takes the whole child into account. One of our sleep consultants, Miriam, puts it this way:

There are many gentle sleep training techniques that can bring a child’s body into harmony, resulting in healthy sleep. We must stop putting a band-aid on a problem, (in this case, a potentially dangerous band-aid). Instead, we need to address the entire child – nutrition, routine, relationships, medical history, family philosophy, temperament, and personal development. This is what we do at the Baby Sleep Site®, and it’s why I’m proud to serve clients here.

In our opinion, the bottom line is this: no supplement is a substitute for healthy sleeping habits.

Your turn, parents – what do you think about this trend? Would you give your baby or toddler ‘sleeping pills’ to improve sleep? We’re interested in hearing our readers’ opinions on this one!

Melatonin won’t miraculously ‘cure’ your baby’s sleep issues. But don’t worry; we have the resources you ned to make meaningful, long-lasting changes to your baby or toddler’s sleep! Please be sure to pick up your FREE copy of 5 (tear-free) Ways to Help Your Child Sleep Through the Night, our e-Book with tear-free tips to help your baby sleep better. For those persistent nighttime struggles, check out The 3-Step System to Help Your Baby Sleep (babies) or The 5-Step System to Better Toddler Sleep (toddlers). Using a unique approach and practical tools for success, our e-books help you and your baby sleep through the night and nap better. Or, join our Members Area packed with exclusive content and resources: e-Books, assessments, detailed case studies, expert advice, peer support, and teleseminars. It actually costs less to join than buying products separately! For those looking for a more customized solution for your unique situation with support along the way, please consider one-on-one baby and toddler sleep consultations, where you will receive a Personalized Sleep Plan™ you can feel good about! Sometimes it’s not that you can’t make a plan. Sometimes you’re just too tired to.

And here is something else to keep in mind, as your child grows: sleep deprivation is not just a problem for babies and toddlers. It’s a problem for big kids, too. Sleep disorders (like sleep apnea and Restless Leg Syndrome) can create serious sleep deficits over time; in turn, those sleep deficits can cause emotional, physical, mental, and social problems for kids as they grow.

Sleep Problems Linked to Poor Performance in School

A recent study, conducted by researchers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, revealed that students who had sleep disorders (particularly sleep disordered breathing) earned lower grades than students who did not struggle with sleep problems. (Read the study’s abstract here).

From the study:

Thirteen percent of children with difficulty sleeping had failing grades in Portuguese, compared to nine percent of those without sleep problems. Likewise, 25 percent of kids with disrupted sleep had failing math grades, versus eight percent of children without trouble sleeping.

This is nothing new, of course; we have written several articles recently about how undiagnosed sleep disorders can, over time, create significant behavioral, emotional, and health problems.

But this mounting evidence is further proof that this problem is real, and that chronic lack of sleep for children causes bigger problems than many of us originally thought.

What is more, this problem is widespread, affecting numerous countries around the world. This includes the United States:

Experts estimate that roughly one-quarter of U.S. children have disrupted sleep at some point during childhood. Erratic bedtime hours and anxiety, either at school or at home, may contribute.

Other children may have unrecognized sleep disorders, such as sleep walking, nightmares or insomnia, or sleep breathing disorders, like sleep apnea. Some medications, including those for asthma or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, can affect sleep. The underlying medical problems may also cause sleep disturbances.

What This Means for Parents of Babies and Toddlers

Those of you who have children in school will no doubt find this article compelling, but what about those of you who don’t have school-aged kids yet? Does this study apply to you in any way?

I would venture to say yes, it does. This research provides further support to the idea that, as parents, we need to focus on and prioritize our children’s sleep, from the time they are born to the time they head off to college! This study just highlights the fact that sleep is not optional for any of us; we all need sleep as much as we need oxygen and water and food.

So while you may not need to worry about classrooms and teachers and report cards just yet, you can work now to foster a mentality that sleep is important. Don’t blow off your baby or toddler’s sleep issues, and don’t fall into the trap of thinking that sleep deprivation is “normal” for your family. Remember, actual sleep disorders are rare, but even healthy babies and toddlers who wake frequently at night and miss naps can experience the kinds of developmental problems that children with sleep disorders experience.

Instead of treating a lack of sleep as “normal”, work to help your baby learn to sleep through the night. Focus on teaching your toddler how to overcome sleep problems. Work to figure out what might be causing your child’s sleep issues (since sleep issues aren’t usually isolated problems) – is it a scheduling problem? A food allergy? A behavioral/developmental concern? All of these can be addressed and treated; then, with a little coaching from you, your baby or toddler will be able to get the restorative sleep he needs.

How have you made sleep a priority in your home? What steps have you taken to improve your baby’s or toddler’s sleep? Share your insights with the rest of us!

Want to start prioritizing your baby or toddler’s sleep needs? Ready to take the first steps towards helping your baby or toddler sleep well? Please be sure to pick up your FREE copy of 5 (tear-free) Ways to Help Your Child Sleep Through the Night, our e-Book with tear-free tips to help your baby sleep better. For those persistent nighttime struggles, check out The 3-Step System to Help Your Baby Sleep (babies) or The 5-Step System to Better Toddler Sleep (toddlers). Using a unique approach and practical tools for success, our e-books help you and your baby sleep through the night and nap better. For those looking for a more customized solution for your unique situation with support along the way, please consider one-on-one baby and toddler sleep consultations, where you will receive a Personalized Sleep Plan™ you can feel good about! Sometimes it’s not that you can’t make a plan. Sometimes you’re just too tired to.

“Mom….,” comes an exasperated sigh from my daughter, “the boys are awake again!” As a mother of fraternal twin boys (and a singleton daughter), I’ve heard this many times. Often though, I’d enter their bedroom, and find the same one of them up, crying, ready to get out of his crib, and the other asleep, just starting to rustle at the noise from the door.

Sound familiar? What really does make up the difference in sleep patterns between children? Those of you with one child who has sleep challenges may wonder, will we face this again with baby number two (or three, or four)—or is there something different that we can do next time? Can we change the sleep patterns of our current baby? And, every family with more than one child probably recognizes the similarities and differences in their children’s sleep.

Rather than feeling twinges the green-eyed monster jealousy for your neighbor, because her baby sleeps through the night AND her baby naps well, let’s look at some new research on what factors do influence sleep. No wonder she has time to do her nails. 🙂

An Italian study on twin sleep, just published this month in Pediatrics concludes that sleep disturbances in early childhood are shaped by BOTH environmental AND genetic factors. We knew that though, right? Remember the whole nature vs. nurture debate? This study found that nurture, or the environment that a child is raised with, affects sleep more than nature, or the genetic makeup of the child. Twin studies are invaluable to learn about topics like this, because they look at babies or children who share the same environment and genes (in the case of identical twins—fraternal twins only share about 50% of the same genetic makeup).

The results of this study show, that while there are some things about our babies’ sleep that we can’t change based on their genes, the good news is that there is even MORE that we can change. This can help both us and them receive better rest, based on our sleep behaviors with them.

So, don’t look at it with the glass half empty–thinking that your rocking, walking, or bouncing and holding until baby is asleep has prevented your baby’s chance at good sleep. In fact, you did what was right for her at the time! Maybe she was sick or teething, and you did what was necessary. The glass half full attitude, says, “Yes…I did what was right at the time, and now there are things I can change to help my baby sleep better.” It may be time to help coach your child toward better sleep.

What factors did the study look at? It looked at factors that concern parents just like you ever day, such as:

Co-sleeping

98% Environmental Causes

Night waking episodes

63% Environmental Causes

Night sleep duration

64% Environmental Causes

Nap duration

61% Environmental Causes

For each of these items, it means the things our baby does (especially co-sleeping, which isn’t necessarily bad, and many parents do by choice) are greatly influenced by our actions, and how we respond to our baby. There is no right or wrong when you do what’s best for your family. But, there are methods that can be implemented to help your family rest.

As for me, at this point my twins are 18 months old, and I am quite convinced that their slight differences in night sleep and nap duration are genetic changes between the two. They sleep great at night, and 95% of the time nap well also. So, the fact that one boy wakes a few minutes than the other? I think that’s an example of the genetic differences between them. They are fraternal twins, so genetically more like regular siblings than an identical genetic makeup. I do keep them on exactly the same schedule, and learned by trial and error to do that when they were younger babies also. They have almost always slept in the same room, except when we were working with the one twin who sleeps a little less. Everything else was done consistently, so they have essentially the same sleeping patterns, not just because they are twin brothers—but because I coached them with the exact same sleep behaviors.

The next time you hear a night time cry coming down the hall, question if this waking is natural for a needed feeding session or if it’s truly time to get up. If not, it may be something you could help change through the use of different behaviors and changing sleep associations.

For those persistent nighttime struggles, check out The 3-Step System to Help Your Baby Sleep. Using the same unique approach and practical tools for success, this e-book helps you and your baby sleep through the night. For those looking for a more customized solution for your unique situation with support along the way, please consider one-on-one baby and toddler sleep consultations, where you will receive a Personalized Sleep Plan™ you can feel good about!

This week’s post is by our new assistant sleep consultant, Heather Matthies. Heather will work with us to create personalized sleep solutions for tired families and provide support during the process. Heather is a registered nurse and holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Nursing. She has many years of professional experience and is a kind, warm person. She’s also the mother of three, including twins, and knows just what it’s like to juggle the many demands of parenthood! Please give Heather a warm welcome to The Baby Sleep Site.

The end of Daylight Savings, when we turn our clocks back one hour, is probably one of the biggest worries for parents of young babies. I start getting questions about the time change up to a month ahead of time and understandably so. If your baby is already waking too early, just the thought of your baby waking an hour earlier is enough to make the calmest parent have a few butterflies. If you’re like me who obsesses about sleep (how else could I write about this every week?), it wouldn’t be surprising if you feel extra anxious about your 5 a.m. waker-upper waking up at 4 a.m. This article will help you survive Daylight Savings 2010.

Daylight savings ends in Europe this weekend on October 31st and on November 7th here in the United States (most of them anyway). For those of you who have an early riser, you may want to start working on your baby’s schedule, now. If your baby is 6 months or older and isn’t napping well enough, you may want to help your baby nap longer and get on a schedule in the next week, so when the time changes you will be able to adjust easier, keeping your baby from getting overtired. When your baby is already taking short naps, it’s very difficult to put them to bed at their normal bedtime, now an hour later than usual. Better napping means an easier transition.

You have three options to handle the time change when Daylight Savings ends, as I went over in my article Time Change Sleeping Tips on WorkingMother.com. The key to choosing the best strategy is your baby’s sensitivity to being overtired. If your baby isn’t overly sensitive to being overtired and is not already waking up before dawn, you might just “go with the flow” and wait for the time to change. Many babies will adjust within a few days to a week, just like we do. You will likely have to wake up “earlier” for a few days, since babies tend to sleep in less than adults, though.

If your baby is already waking up too early in the morning, in relation to your ideal family schedule, I’d recommend doing some preemptive work ahead of time to ease the transition. Moving your baby’s schedule isn’t always easy, but in the next week or two, you can successfully move your baby’s schedule forward by an hour and then move it again, if necessary, to achieve your family’s ideal schedule. For example, your baby may be waking at 5 a.m., you’d like her to wake at 6 a.m. or later, so you can move her schedule forward one hour to 6 a.m., wait for the time to change (where she will be waking at 5 a.m. once again) and then move her schedule forward again. This works best when your baby is at least 8 months old, but some 6 month old schedules can be moved as well. Younger babies generally will adjust naturally within a few days to two weeks as long as you don’t strictly stick to the earlier schedule (a young baby’s sleep is already highly disorganized). If you are interested, I go over detailed steps (with examples) to moving your baby’s schedule in my pamphlet called Shift Your Baby’s Schedule (I know not a very original title, but I’ve found that tired parents don’t always enjoy clever. They just want answers, which I try to provide straight and to-the-point in all my e-Books). I’ve included a case study that followed one family’s schedule shift whom I worked with one-on-one.

For some babies, they will follow a combination of the abrupt time change and a gradual shift. The main thing to remember is that a too-late bedtime can cause over-tiredness leading to an even EARLIER wake-up time in the morning, which will make Daylight Savings even more difficult to manage. Remember that the new 7 p.m. is the old 8 p.m. and can likely have a adverse effect on your baby’s schedule. Rather than follow what your friends might be doing, make sure you take into consideration your baby’s sensitivity and adaptability when tackling the end of Daylight Savings. And, if your baby is already struggling to sleep, there is no time like the present to make the time change the time to make a change.